True Blood: What if Sookie met Eric first?

Chapter 1: Merlottes

Names Sookie Stackhouse.

Just like any other typical day, here I am, at Merlotte's doing my job as the waitress that I am. My boss Sam Meelotte- he owns the bar- is as usual checking on me when ever I do anything from collecting the food for a table to taking my salary and heading on out. What's very disturbing is that Sam seems to always have such a watchful eyes on me, wherever I go, not that I find it entirely creepy, but I'm like 25 years old, I don't need a babysitter or a special protection unit.

*****
Anyway, I'm a telepath as they call it; I can hear people's thoughts; ever since I was like seven, I think, I've been driving people nuts or scaring people with my extraordinary gift. Everywhere I go, there's someone who's gone all wide-eyed in case I've taken to probing at their brain; Hoyt Fortenberry, he's my brother Jason's best friend, he reads a lot of comic books, let Jason borrow a few, I even read some of em: wasn't all that bad.

God. Everywhere I'm hearing people's thoughts:
There's this one guy, think goes by the name Joe Freer and as I hand him his food and beer his head is going:

"Lord, it's already bad enough being diabetic, please just let me have my hamburger."

Giving no reply as I leave him to have his meal. Next thing I know, I'm at this girl Jessica's table, she's here with her mom and little sister, said her dad was going to be a while and he'd come back to pick em up. I don't really know Jessica all that well, but she's a sweet gal, looks around my age, perhaps she could be my second friend; I've already got Tara. That's just what I'm gonna do:

"Hi, who's having the fish fingers?" I ask.

"That's Eden." Jessica's mother takes the plate and lays it down for her baby girl; I notice a scar that's almost difficult for the naked eye to see.

"Cannelloni?" moving on, ignoring the disturbance.

"Oh, that's here thank you." Jessica, sounds quite dull; she okay?

"Jessica, you all right?" I start reading her mind; I swear, sometimes it's as though I can't even control this thing.

"Daddy, please don't?!" I see an image of her getting hit by her dad with a belt; that's why her mother has that scar!

"Oh, Jessica, I'm so sorry." I almost touch her hand to comfort her.

"For what?" Jessica is looking at me confused.

Uh oh. This is yet again one of those awkward moments where I look like a total freak to everyone. Jessica's mother looks at me with her eyes halfway closes like suspicion.

"Nothing, sorry, um here's your onion rings miss Hamby, I'll go get Eden some ketchup." I make my way from the table and for the half of the bar where Tara sits holding a beer in her hand.

*****
"I really need a job." Tara is looking very glum.

"I'm sure Sam'd be more than happy to give you a spot here." I give her some reassurance.

Tara perks up a bit.

"Thanks Sook, I come to this place a lot when I need to just take my mind of things." Tara looks up at the ceiling.

"Hey there cos, don't tell me, you can't stop flapping your gums." Lafayette; Tara's cousin, making his jokes and making us laugh again.

Tara and I both giggle; Lafayette always knew how to cheer us up best, whenever gran had to go for some shoppping, he'd come over and be like a babysitter to me and Tara, always a big laugh.

"Hey Lafayette." I say to him.

"Hey Sook. Look, why don't you run along, play fortune teller with all these folks, and I'll watch my baby cousin." Lafayette always thought of my gift as fortune telling.